Everything you need to know about Le'Veon Bell's standoff with the Steelers

Is he ever coming back? Maybe! Here’s EVERYTHING we know.

Contributors:

SBNation.com Staff

Image credit: Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images

There’s something different about the Pittsburgh Steeler this season — no Le’Veon Bell. The running back has been away from the team since getting the franchise for the second year in a row this spring. His absence has included all of the team’s offseason workouts, training camp, the preseason and the first nine weeks of the 2018 NFL season.

With such a long saga, it’s easy to get confused as to what’s going on. So let’s get you up to speed.

Why is Bell not with the team?

Simple, money. For two years in a row, the Steelers have used to franchise tag to retain exclusive rights to the offensive weapon. Although the one-year fully guaranteed deal would have paid him as much as $14.5 million this season (he lost more than $800,000 for every week he was absent), it shorted him the chance to negotiate his worth on the free agent market.

Because he got the tag, Bell’s absence isn’t a holdout. There’s nothing to negotiate. He can either sign the deal or risk losing a season of eligibility toward free agency (more on that in a minute).

Instead, Bell’s reasoning for skipping the preseason and the first nine weeks of the regular season has more to do with his health. He’s made it clear that he wants to save some wear and tear on his body before he gets another shot at free agency next spring.

Didn’t Bell and the Steelers negotiate a contract?

They did, but Bell wasn’t happy with the offer and how it was structured.

It sounded like a GREAT offer, $70 million over five years. However, only $10 million was fully guaranteed at signing, which is a common practice for the Steelers. As with most NFL contracts, the devil is in the details. The Steelers could have released him after this season, and he would have earned nothing more on the deal. Or, an injury could have taken millions off the table, so Bell wanted more.

He wanted something more akin to what Todd Gurley got from the Rams. Gurley signed a four-year, $60 million deal with $45 million guaranteed.

So why can’t they just negotiate a new deal?

Because it’s the franchise tag. When a team uses the tag on a player, they have until the middle July of that year to negotiate a long-term deal that replaces the tag.

The Steelers and Bell didn’t get a deal done. The only options available to Bell after that were to sign his one-year franchise tag offer or not sign it and skip part of the season.

When does Bell have to come back?

He doesn’t have to come back at all. However, if he missed the season, it would takeaway an accrued year of service toward free agency. He can’t play if he doesn’t report by 4 p.m. ET on Nov. 13.

On Monday, Nov. 5, Bell sent out a tweet teasing a potential return.

He’s been spending his time in Miami, obviously, training and doing whatever else it is people do in Miami (like have fun).

What do his teammates think about it?

They actually started out in his corner. But when he told them he’d be back in September and didn’t show, he lost their support. They haven’t changed their stance much, with some still maintaining that it won’t matter when he does return. Truth be told, it’s a very complicated situation between teammates, as retired NFL lineman Geoff Schwartz explained.

Do the Steelers even need him anymore?

Maybe not. Second-year running back James Conner has filled in nicely in his stead.

Through eight games, Conner has rushed for 706 yards on 151 attempts, a nice 4.7 yards per carry. He’s also got nine rushing touchdowns, tied for the second most in the NFL. The Steelers have thrown Conner the ball 50 times, and he’s caught 38 of those targets for 379 yards and a touchdown.